1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fungal endophytes and combinations of endophytes with grass plants.
2. Description of the Related Art
Endophyte-infected grasses are relatively pest-resistant and drought-tolerant, making them ideal candidates for low maintenance situations such as turf purposes and erosion control. The endophyte does not affect either the growth or the appearance of the grass. Endophytes are transmitted only through seed and their presence requires a laboratory evaluation to confirm. Endophyte-infected grasses generally have low palatability to livestock and may lead to a variety of problems when used as livestock feed such as lameness, low energy, poor reproductive capacity both in conception and bringing the fetus to term, and low milk production. These problems are due to the presence of a range of alkaloids produced by the endophyte which are also responsible for the pest- and drought-resistance.
There is a need for an endophyte-infected grass plant that has low or non-detectable levels of certain alkaloids that may have deleterious effects on forage animals while still producing sufficient quantities of those alkaloids which provide a competitive advantage to the plant host. There is a need for endophyte-infected grasses that can be used as forage.